Page 56 of Krin

He nodded, solemn. “He is okay. I am too... I will be. We are trying to make contact with another Protectorate ship to tell them what happened.”

“The comms are working?” I asked, surprised.

“Emergency frequency is sketchy. We will keep trying.” His gaze moved to Riley. “Is she injured badly?”

Another shiver ran through her body. “I do not know. Have you seen the medic?”

He gave a shrug. “I will find him.”

Before I could reply, he dashed away with his tail twitching anxiously.

Ezan came back with a blanket at that very moment. He extended it in my direction. “I brought this to make sure she stays warm.”

Working in unison to cover her body with the blanket without lowering her, I thanked him for his help.

To my relief, the wound had stopped bleeding. However, the heat radiating from her forehead was undeniable; she definitely had a fever.

After what felt like an eternity, the medic finally showed up. Impatiently, I forced out the words, “Took you long enough. My mate is seriously injured.”

Giving me a brief, disapproving stare, he shook his head. “I was tending to the injured. I got here as fast as I could.”

He looked closely at Riley’s injury, gently removing the material I had used to cover her head. His face contorted with a frown and his brow creased.

“I will clean the wound thoroughly before sealing it.” He followed through on his promise, then displayed a portable body scanner in his hand. “I have the ability to scan for internal injuries. Unfortunately, I cannot provide treatment at this moment. The crash resulted in the medi-bay being completely torn apart. I was fortunate to retrieve the few medical items I have.”

After scanning Riley’s body, concern etched his face as he swallowed hard. “She is suffering from some internal injuries.”

“Fix her,” I roared, unable to contain my emotions.

He startled, then nodded his head. “I will make every effort to find what I need, Captain.”

The medic scurried away, leaving me alone with Riley, whose limp body lay in my arms. Fear had taken hold, my insides churning in a relentless storm.

Gods, please help. I cannot lose her.

“IDENTIFY YOURSELF.”The chief of security, Rothr, announced in a loud voice.

I cast a swift glance in his direction and was astounded to see two unfamiliar beings that appeared unlike anyone I had ever encountered.

Neither human nor Alaran traits were evident in the appearance of the aliens.

They stood tall, towering above me by about four heads. They had four arms, and two legs. Their skin appeared to have developed into a shield, almost like natural armor.

Devoid of hair, possessing large black eyes without eyelids, they had long, dark gray spikes protruding from the tops of their heads like antennae.

Their eyes, moving past Rothr, landed on another warrior, who stood confidently, sword in hand. There was a sense of fearlessness about them, as if they were completely unbothered by any potential danger.

I noticed they were not carrying any weapons that I could see.

“I am Rauki,” one of them stated in an accented voice. His ability to speak our language was a relief. “We are Thrala. We are here to help.”

As I eyed him, security had weapons trained on both creatures. My temper flared as I clutched Riley closer. “Are you the ones who shot us?” I ground out.

“We did not intend to harm you. We were shooting at our enemy. They were trailing you. they would have destroyed your ship had we not intervened.”

“How do you know the Voletti?” Was this another new race in Alaran space?

“We are from the same alternate Universe as the Voletti. They destroyed our home world and many others. They are a scourge.”

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